Review: HALF PAST DANGER 2: DEAD TO REICHS #1

The Nazi-punching Indiana-Jones-meets-Jurassic-Park-meets-superheroes Half Past Danger returns and I’m happy to report the same spirit remains!

Nazis get punched in this issue and dammit, that’s just fun. Mooney recaps the first volume nicely for new readers and even as someone who read the first volume, I appreciated the refresher. The recap allows Mooney to dive right into the action as well, having set up the players and the scene with the initial pages. What we get at the outset is a scrappy Irish captured by Nazis and mouthing off. I dig it.

Irish has a brilliant amount of sass. He’s full of piss and vinegar, but not to an annoying extent. He reminds me of Indy in all the best ways, but with a unique, authentic Irish flair. In the current climate of the world it just feels good to read someone mouthing off Nazis, and then watching the thunder arrive as John beats the ever-loving shit out of them. Mooney’s pencils when the big guy enters are fabulous and it’s a great thing watching him tear up a room full of white supremacists.

There’s solid undercurrent of drama in this issue as Mooney sets up the conflicts that will drive the story forward. Greta and Elizabeth are enigmatic characters who vex the main duo of Irish and John and the politics of the military in the 40s are in play. I love how the unique flair of Half Past Danger and the fact that there are dinosaurs weaves through the title, making it feel all the more like a classic sci-fi pulp book, but crafted with modern style.

Mooney’s art is great. He’s a dynamic penciler and he gives these characters a ton of personality. Triona Tree Farrell’s colour work gives them the perfect balance of pulp and flair, her tones evoking retro vibes nicely. Her palette makes us feel immediately like we’ve been dropped into WWII and maintains a great visual tone for the series. Mooney and Farrell are a great artistic team and the charm of these characters is sold perfectly by the art.

This is very much a first issue and we’ve got a lot of setup here for the arc, but Mooney tempers that well by making sure we get some Nazi smashing to keep things lively. The timing of Half Past Danger 2 #1 couldn’t be better and I’m excited to see where this volume of the story goes.